The Basics of Blogging

The big names in the

internet marketing world lead you to believe that all you have to do to start

making money from your web site is to slap a few Adsense ads up there, buy their

book or e-book, sign up for their affiliate program and "poof" - you will be an

Internet Marketing Millionaire overnight. Guess what? That's not quite how it

works. In my experience, monetizing your web site takes:

• Research

• Trial and error

• Testing

• Traffic

• and Patience

Every web site is

different and there are many different ways you can monetize a site. Certain

methods work better than others based on your content, your audience, your

traffic level, and your end goals. Adsense is good but you have to get a lot of

small amounts through a huge amount of traffic to make it work.

I am not saying dont do it and we will show you how but the

other day I did a few posts for Yahoo Business sites and sold 4 @ $90 each. Not

bad for a few posts and an hours work.

Adsense and other

contextual ad programs

Where it works:

Niche sites tailored to a specific audience. Health, celebrity, consumer

product, and extremely specialized niches work best. The less "tech-savvy" the

audience, the better the click through rate is going to be (in my experience).

Also, the higher your traffic rate, obviously the better you are going to do.

How to maximize your earnings:

Use a mix of link ads and ad

blocks and blend them into your design as much as possible. Try out a variety of

placements using channels. If using on a general topic blog, place on single

pages only for more relevant ads. There are a number of other similar programs

around that we will show you which can generate a healthy income.

Affiliate Programs

Where it works:

There are affiliate programs for just about

everything from specific products to e-courses and absolutely everything in

between. Affiliate links work best when presented as recommendations or reviews.

Landing pages or pre-sale techniques really help. Affiliate links, if done

right, work well even with a the traditional non-clicking audience.

How to maximize your earnings:

Do your research. Find

affiliate programs for products your audience already uses or would use -

especially with a good recommendation from you. Use a pre-sale technique such as

a well written post for better conversion rates.

Direct Ad Sales

Where it works:

Selling text link ads or banner ads have the highest pay potential once your

site gets fairly mature and starts getting consistent traffic flows. Having a

defined niche/audience helps dramatically. Also, strong content and good SEO

techniques make your site more attractive to potential advertisers.

One thing I notice very few people do is ask for the advertising.

How to maximize your earnings:

Have a page about advertising

on your site, or at a minimum, have solid statistics on your traffic, click

through rates, and your demographics on hand. Be willing to share this

information with potential advertisers. You can use brokerage services as well,

but keep in mind that they will take a cut of your earnings. However, this may

be the easiest way to break into the direct ad arena.

Paid Blogging

Where it works:

You can do paid posting through a brokerage service or you can get paid to write

regularly for a network. Most of the time the brokerages that offer pay per post

(or review) opportunities require your site meet some basic requirements, but

beyond that, you can choose which paid opportunities you wish to write on.

Writing for a network requires application for the position, but can be a great

way to earn money from blogging - especially when you consider what your current

blog makes.

How to maximize your earnings:

Look for pay per post

opportunities that you enjoy, offer some value to your readers, and ones that

pay fairly well. When getting paid to blog for a network (or similar), look for

a network with a solid reputation, fair pay and bonus opportunities for

increasing site traffic.

The Final Word

There are

plenty of people making a really good living using a combination of web

monetization methods, however I doubt

any of them got there overnight and without making plenty of mistakes along the

way. And for the record, I didn't make very much money my first

month of monetizing my sites - or my second - or my third. Around the 4th month,

things started picking up. After a year of monetizing my sites, I have gotten to

the point where I can consider MYSELF as a client - allowing me to stop doing

some of the client work I no longer enjoy. I know there is still A LOT more I

have to learn about making money on the Internet, but we'll revisit my progress

over the months and you will learn with me.